Disclaimer: JE owns them. I do not. Songfic based on "One Moment More" by Mindy Smith.

~oooOOOooo~

One Moment More

~oOo~

Hold meEven though I know you're leavingAnd show meAll the reasons you would stayIt's just enough to feel your breath on mineTo warm my soul and ease my mindYou've got to hold me and show me now

~oOo~

The phone rang, waking us at 2:30 in the morning, and I looked over at Ranger, knowing it couldn't be good news. My stomach rolled, a single tear fell down my cheek, and I nearly stopped breathing as I heard his words.

"Yo..." He was quiet for less than a minute before he said, "Yes, I'll be waiting at oh three thirty."

He hung up the phone and turned back to me. One single word was my undoing.

"Babe."

~oOo~

Give meJust one part of you to cling toAnd keep meEverywhere you areIt's just enough to steal my heart and runAnd fade out with the falling sun

~oOo~

"Ranger," I croaked. "Hold me. Give me a bit longer before I have to let you go."

He gathered me in his arms, pulling me closer than I had been even in sleep, and whispered, "If I could give you all night, I would. We have an hour, Babe."

~oOo~

Oh, please don't goLet me have you just one moment moreOh, all I needAll I want is just one moment moreYou've got to hold me and keep me

~oOo~

We lay there in the bed, staring into one another's eyes, tears running down my cheeks without stopping. His thumb came up to brush them away as he softly, tenderly, lovingly kissed my lips. There was nothing sexual in his touch or his kiss. Instead, I felt every emotion imaginable pouring out into me—his trust, his sadness, his encouragement. The strongest emotion was one we had spent the last eight months telling and showing one another.

His love.

~oOo~

Tell me that someday you'll be returningAnd maybeMaybe I'll believeIt's just enough to see a shooting starTo know you're never really farIt's just enough to see a shooting starTo know you're never really gone

~oOo~

"You know I can't make promises, Babe, but I'm more sure than I've ever been that I will do my damndest to come home to you. Every night, look up into the sky and look at the stars. You'll know that I am looking at them every night, thinking of you."

He slowly slid into me then, our lovemaking silent and tender, every emotion coming to the surface just as his touch and kiss had done before. Our bodies, hearts, minds, and souls became one as we tumbled over the edge together.

~oOo~

Oh, please don't goLet me have you just one moment moreOh, all I needAll I want is just one moment more

~oOo~

The time passed altogether too quickly, and soon, I found myself watching as he packed his bag. The clock read 3:23, and I knew the time had come to tell him goodbye. My heart aching, I sat up on the edge of the bed and waited until he'd zipped up the bag and paused, turning to look at me.

~oOo~

Oh, please don't goLet me have you just one moment moreOh, all I needAll I want is just one moment moreYou've got to hold me and maybe I'll believe

~oOo~

I held my arms out to him. "Carlos, please. One moment more before you go."

He slid between my knees, kneeling down beside the edge of the bed and hugging me to him. We held each other tight until his watch beeped. It was time.

Ranger tightened his hold around me, not wanting to let go, even when his cell phone rang. Two minutes later, the house phone rang, and he reluctantly pulled away.

"Yes, I'll be right up," he said, cursing the phone as he replaced the receiver.

"This isn't goodbye, Stephanie. This is simply an I'll be back soon, Babe. Keep my heart safe. I love you," he whispered before turning to go.

My heart clenched as I whispered to his back, "Always, Carlos. I love you."

~oOo~

So hold meEven though I know you're leaving

~oOo~

It was nearly six months until I saw him again, and the first thing he saw when he returned home was the roundness of my belly, grown large holding our son.

He fell to his knees in front of me, whispering, "I'm done, Babe. I'm never leaving you again." He whispered over and over again, "I love you. I love you. I love you," as he wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips to his little boy.

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